Ryutaro Kono (2019 Annual)

Chief Japan Economist
BNP Paribas

Ryutaro Kono started his career as an economist at Daiwa International Capital Management (DICM) and has been analyzing and forecasting macroeconomic and monetary policy developments in Japan for BNP Paribas since 2000.

Prior to joining BNP Paribas, Ryutaro spent time in New York analyzing the US economy and monetary policy as a senior economist of DICM, and he then moved to Dai-Ichi-Life Research Institute in Tokyo in 1997.

Ryutaro has extensive expertise in monetary and fiscal policy, and has been a working member of various government panels dealing with fiscal affairs, including the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy (Cabinet Office) and various working groups of Ministry of Finance and other Japanese ministries.

Ryutaro is a frequent commentator on economic issues in the local press and television and has been repeatedly recognized as one of Japan’s top economists (voted No.1 in seven of the last twelve years by Nikkei Veritas).